Category: News

After spending the last month focusing mainly on Austin City Limits, I’m taking a few day to check back in on all the old reliables before we go full throttle on Fun Fun Fun Fest. I’ve already posted one tune from the up-coming releases by Beyond is Beyond is Beyond, and here I am with a tune from The Entrance Band. While I can definitely sense the psych nod going on the way the guitar is being utilized, there’s something quite different in the delivery of the vocals themselves. They manage to maintain a different level of spirituality, and I can’t wait for you all to hear what’s happening on their full length, Face the Sun. It’s out on November 19th, and will definitely be something you’ll need in your collection to wrap up 2013.

Those looking to begin their weekend the right way with a killer dance party should head on down to Empire Control Room& Garage this Friday night. Headlining the night is up and coming dance pop group Stepdad who are sure to get your feet moving in the wee hours of the night/morning. Joining in on the fun are some great Austin bands The Bipolar Bears and Sphynx. Your feet will be moving.

We bring you another reason to get hype about Fun Fun Fun Fest 8. It is happening November 8th-10th at Auditorium Shores, ya know.

Beach Fossils released Clash The Truth early this year. We saw them at Red7 a few months later and while the show was great, there were a couple of technical difficulties that hampered it from being perfect. I doubt the bolted down Homies running gear at FFF will miss a beat. I would also expect a foray into the crowd by Dustin.

Check out the video for this jam that was just released over at MTV Hive directed by the Mac Demarco bass player, Pierce McGarry.

I’m always trying to find good songs that don’t get a lot of other coverage, and that’s how I stumbled upon this sweet rocker from Life. This song popped up the other day, and it’s been stuck in my head ever since then, providing equal amounts of hooks and rythmic bounce for your ears. You’ll be able to find this tune on the band’s most recent 7″, with this song taking up the A side. You need eregy and fun, then look no further than this UK act to help you on your way. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/116357085″ params=”color=ff6600&auto_play=false&show_artwork=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Usually when everyone lauds a new tune, it’s either because it’s incredible or because there’s tons of unnecessary hype. In the case of this new piece from Kevin Morby, who spends a lot of time in Woods and The Babies, it’s mostly the former. The tune is sprawled carefully across Morby’s vocals, moving quiet slowly, with ornate little touches of detail added in all the right places. I’m reminded a bit of The Clientele, especially when you get to the 2.5 minute mark…that’s not a bad thing in my mind. You can grab his new record, Harlem River, on November 26th via Woodsist.

Get ready people, Fun Fun Fun Fest is upon us. Festival season is a fickle beauty. It enchants you with dance and libations and wrecks your perception of reality and your liver.

The wife and I will celebrate fifteen years of marriage on the day before FFF8. Cut Copy is her favoritest. Free Your Mind like Neo jumping off a building and dance a little. Here is perfect synths pop dance jam called “We Are Explorers” to get you in the mood for Friday on the Orange Stage.

I’ve been keeping a close eye on White Birds, and admittedly, I never quite know what I’m going to get. Sometimes the music created is so intimate, other times it’s interestingly abstract, but this new track that just popped up yesterday is too mesmerizing to miss. I could just listen to the vocals over and over, soaring, quietly. There’s a tribal quality in the percussion, which makes creates a really dense ethereal haunt throughout. I’m not sure what or if this will be released, just think you should enjoy such a ridiculously good song; I’d be responsible for ruining your day if I didn’t let you hear it!

It says a lot when a band can claim the likes of Matinee and Cloudberry as their past homes, and with the move to Jigsaw, Charlie Big Time continue their foray into the annals of great indie pop labels. Next week you’ll be able to grab the Sale or Return EP from the band, and this first listen is really something special. There’s a an airy quality to the song, which counteracts with the cascading distorted guitar. The vocals are definitely focused on Matthew’s performance, but Beth also does a great job of adding just the right backing vocals, leaving listeners with a fine slice of pop to get you through your day.

I know it’s only humpday, but I already feel bogged down this week, so I’m looking to the feel good tunes of Chromeo to get me through the rest of the day. The duo has always had a soft spot in my heart, with “Mama’s Boy” being one of my favorite tracks. The group’s always employed a fun spin on the world, and they don’t stop with this tune, commenting on a popular social butterfly…I’m thinking they’re nodding to Kim K. You can hear this tune, and what I assume will be more hits, when the band release White Women, their latest LP.

Just last week I was tossing one of the great new songs from Radioactivity your way, and less than a few days later, the band have unleashed another kicking tune for your ears. I love the gritty sound of this tune, even though it still has this underlying pop sensibility to it; you wouldn’t expect anything less from two ex-Marked Men memebers would you? Not only does this capture the sound that I’ve been enthralled with (again) over the last few years, but we can get a big Texas shout out going here. Their self-titled LP comes out next week via Dirtnap Records…and rumor has it that another one is right around the corner.